Dedicated to the Intellectual Brutality of Stanford Football

July 2013

07/17/2013

Any discussion of 2014 recruits comes with the understanding that even those players who have committed to the Cardinal could change their minds or fail to gain admission to the University. Nothing is official until national signing day on February 5, 2014, so recruiting news should be read through that filter. It's an inexact science, but it's simply too much fun to ignore.

It doesn't seem that long ago that even as the Stanford defense began to gain strength and confidence, the defensive backfield lagged behind as somewhat of an Achille's heal. Thankfully, those days are over. With the success of former Cardinal and current NFL Pro Bowler Richard Sherman, the ascendence of safeties Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards, and last year's emergence of corner Alex Carter, the top level of the Stanford defense is suddenly an NFL pipeline.

The next talent ready to jump in line is Brandon Simmons, a 6'1", 180-pound safety out of Mansfield, Texas. Simmons comes highly regarded by all major recruiting services as one of the top safeties in America (Rivals, #20; Scout, #8; 247 Sports, #21; ESPN, #16), and all four see him as a four-star prospect. Simmons's offer list reflects that confidence, as he is reported to have turned down scholarship offers to 32 different schools, including LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Normally there are concerns about whether or not an athlete will meet Stanford's rigorous admissions requirements, but that probably won't be a concern with Simmons; one of the offers he turned down was from Harvard, a school which enjoys such a prestigious academic reputation that it is often refered to as the Stanford of the East.

Aside from his on-field impact (click here for his highlight package) which could begin as early as 2014 in certain nickel packages, Simmons has already begun recruiting other talent to join him in Palo Alto as part of a 2014 admissions class that could solidify Stanford's place amongst the elite of college football.

07/11/2013

BYU football sites were abuzz on Wednesday afternoon over rumors that the Cougars were nearing an agreement with Stanford to play games in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Yes, that's a long, long time from now, but that's how things are done in college football. The Pac-12 office is responsible for scheduling conference games, and the the individual schools have to line up three or four other opponents to fill out the slate each year.

This leads to controversy, as most things related to college football do, because there is inequity involved. SEC schools, for example, are notorious for refusing to travel west of the Mississippi -- or in some cases refusing even to leave their home state -- for non-conference games. There are other differences between conferences, some that are even more problematic. Most conferences play only eight conference games, but the Pac-12 has always played nine. If the Pac-12 were to lower that number to eight -- in line with all other BCS conferences -- each member team could schedule another non-conference foe and likely pocket another win. With the money and prestige at stake as teams are selected to play in BCS games (or next year's playoff bracket), this puts the Pac-12 at a distinct disadvantage.

Another problem with scheduling is that you never what your schedule will really look like five years down the road. When Wake Forest agreed to a home-and-home series with Stanford a few years ago, the Cardinal was one of the worst teams in the nation. It probably looked like a nice way to pick up a win and enjoy a trip out to California. The first game was in 2009, and it probably went just as planned for the Demon Deacons. It was early in the day (12:00 local time but 9:00 AM Pacific) and early in the season (Stanford didn't yet know what it had in Toby Gerhart), and Wake Forest won, 24-17. The next year, the Deacons flew across the country and were hammered 68-24 by a Cardinal team that was suddenly one of the best in the country. Basically, you never know what you're gonna get.

With all that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at Stanford's non-conference opponents as currently scheduled. Here goes...

07/09/2013

It wasn't too long ago that the USC Trojans were atop the college football world. Pete Carroll and his coaching staff easily snatched up all the top talent in Southern California, then greedily ventured out across the United States to sign still more four- and five-star caliber players. One star-studded class followed another, and for a stretch of five or six years in the last decade, the Trojans were almost always the most talented team on the field.

In most cases, it's a good thing to be overflowing with talent. Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason had no trouble rotating eight different linebackers last season, and Pete Carroll happily split carries between Reggie Bush and Lendale White during USC's glory days, even though either would've been the feature back at almost any other school in America.

It isn't always that simple, though. There can only be one quarterback, after all.

07/05/2013

Keller Chryst announced his college intention last week when he arrived at what is perhaps the most prestigous of the numerous high school football camps, Nike's The Opening. While his performance in the 7 on 7 competition wasn't as impressive as some of the other quarterbacks, Chryst did nothing to alter his status as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

But the Opening is about more than just quarterbacks, and there were several Stanford commits and targets in attendance, including Chryst, safety Brandon Simmons (committed), safety John Bonney, tight end Dalton Schultz, and defensive end Solomon Thomas. As a measure of Stanford's growinig importance on the national scene, Fox Sports offers a seven-minute breakdown of how these Stanford recruits did at the camp. It's definitely a must-watch.

GMC Book Club

Over the past three years, GMC readers have donated a total of 344 books to my classroom! My students are always looking for new and exciting books, so if you'd like to contribute, simply click here! Or, click here to read my original post and find out more!